Life Saver
by loveblondie
Summary: Zoe knew she had to make some changes and fast. After some bad things happen in her life she knew it was time for a change. Time to feel safe again. Time to heal. She knew it was going to be hard but she had her childhood best friend and his friends to help her out. And maybe, just maybe Zoe will be ok. Derek/OC Completely AU. No wolfy stuff.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Zoe knew she had to make some changes and fast. After some bad things happen in her life she knew it was time for a change. Time to feel safe again. Time to heal. She knew it was going to be hard but she had her childhood best friend and his friends to help her out. And maybe, just maybe Zoe will be ok. Derek/OC Completely AU. No wolfy stuff.

A/N: So this is my third time at publishing a story. I just haven't been happy with the others. Please be patient and kind with me as this is kind of hard for me to do. I hope you enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC

Chapter 1

I sat staring out of the window of the plane as it glided effortlessly through the air towards Los Angeles, California. This place is my new home. Well my new old home. I used to live here when I was younger but moved when my dad got a job at some fancy law firm in Massachusetts. Leaving all my friends and family behind would be tough, leaving the shattered pieces of my life not so much. I needed to do this. For my safety, for my sanity. To prove to myself that I would be ok.

I watch the clouds float by the window with my headphones in successfully tuning out the world. Eventually I fall into a dreamless sleep only to be shaken awake by the flight attendant telling me we were about to start our decent into the airport. I sit up wincing at the pain the many bruises covering my body bring me. The only thing I was thankful for was the fact the bruises on my face had healed.

Once landed I make my way into the maze that is Los Angeles International Airport. Wandering around for a few minutes I finally find baggage claim just in time to see my luggage make its way down the ramp and towards me. Gingerly grabbing my luggage I made my way through the crowds looking for the exit and that one familiar face that was waiting for me.

"You look lost." I hear a voice call from behind me.

"Well I wouldn't be if my asshole best friend was here to pick me up on time." I reply a grin spreading across my face as I turn to look at the person. Leaving my luggage on ground next to me I half-walk, half-run to my best friend and jump into his arms. "I've missed you Scott McCall"

"I've missed you too Zoe Monroe." He said stumbling but managing to keep us both upright. I wince, temporarily forgetting about the bruises.

"You ok?" Scott Asks concerned.

"Yeah, just sore from the flight and all." I say shaking it off.

"Shall we head out? Some of my friends are waiting at my house to meet you. Not so patiently I might add." Scott says as he sets me down and we walk over to my abandoned luggage picking it up off the floor.

"Lead the way. I would hate to keep your friends waiting any longer than necessary." I said reaching to help him with my many bags.

Walking outside I stop for a second to take in the smells of the city mixed with the warm summer air. Putting on my sunglasses I turn and follow Scott to his car. We didn't have to walk far to the car as he only parked a few feet from the entrance.

Once all my stuff was in the car and we were situated we took off towards Scotts' house. The car ride was mostly silent except for the radio and the wind from the window I rolled down to stick my feet out. After a while I see Scott turn the radio down and grab my hand to get my attention.

"Zo, I know you may not want to talk about it but I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am that I wasn't there to keep you safe like I should've been. I hate that I couldn't protect you when it happened and that I wasn't there to help you afterward." He says with sadness and regret in his eyes.

"Don't worry about it." I said turning back to the window.

"Zoe, you're my best friend it's my job to protect and worry about you. It kills me that I wasn't able to do that." He says squeezing my hand.

"Scott. I am ok and I am here now. Please don't worry so much, you're getting wrinkles." I say semi-pleading with him to change the subject.

"I am not!" He says poking me in the ribs making me squeal. The rest of the ride was spent in a comfortable silence.

About twenty minutes later we pull up to Scotts' house. A modest two-story home with a decent size yard. Hearing us pull into the driveway three guys and two girls come outside to meet us at the car. The guys walk past me to help Scott with my stuff and the girls approach me with big smiles. One girl has long red hair and big blue eyes introduces herself as Lydia and gives me a bone crushing hug saying something about finally meeting Scotts' best friend. The other girl, a pretty brunette, just shakes my hand and says her name is Allison. Lydia grabs my hand right after and drags me inside talking a mile a minute.

Once inside and sitting at the kitchen counter listening to Lydia and Allison chat about how much I am going to love it here and all the cute boys there are to flirt with the boys come downstairs from bring my bags to my room.

"I see you're getting along with the girls." Scott smiles.

"Zoe you remember the guys: Stiles, Jackson and Derek." He says pointing to each as he goes.

"Of course I do! I'm blonde not stupid." I say rolling my eyes and moving to hug each one. I didn't miss how both pairs of female eyes followed me around and narrowed just a bit when I hugged Scott and Jackson.

After a few minutes of catching up and joking around I return to my seat at the counter and watch my friends interact with each other. Everyone has grown up so much since I was six. Scott is very handsome. Tall, with dark brown hair and eyes to match. Jackson looks like a model. Very muscular with dirty blonde hair. I can see why Lydia is catious with other females. Stiles really grew into his looks. He must get all the ladies with his baby blue eyes and boyish grin.

The one that both surprised me and didn't at the same time was Derek. I was not surprised at how handsome he is now with his dark, almost black hair and hazel eyes. I can tell by his devilish smile that he has made many females swoon at his feet. What did surprise me though was the insane amount of butterflies I get in my stomach just from looking at him or hearing him talk.

"Zo! You still with us?!" I jump, startled realizing I had been staring.

"Yeah, just wondering what is in the water around here. Everyone looks like fucking Abercrombie models!" I sputter flailing my arms. "Well, except Stiles."

"HEY!" Stiles shouts in protest.

"Zoe Ann Monroe!"

Everyone immediately stops laughing and turns towards the voice that has slipped into the room unnoticed. Melissa McCall was beautiful but not in a "I'm pretty and I know it" kind of way. She has this graceful elegance about her that no matter how hard I tried I could never quite do myself. Melissa loves her family fiercely and if she claims you as one of her kids you better believe she treats you as if she gave birth to you herself.

"Five dollars in the swear jar and dish duty tonight." Melissa declares with a smile on her face as she comes to stand in front of me.

"Awww! I hate dish duty!" I whine stomping my feet slightly earning a snicker from everyone in the room.

"You want to make it two nights young lady?" She challenges raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow and crossing her arms.

"No ma'am." I sigh in defeat.

"I didn't think so. Now give me a hug. I've missed you so much!" She exclaims enveloping me in a warm hug.

"I've missed you too mom." I whisper returning the hug.

"Scott, why don't you show Zoe to her room so she can settle in for a bit before dinner." Melissa says while gently pushing me towards Scott.

"Sure. Right this way." Scott says gesturing for me to follow him.

...

"Well here it is. I'll come get you when it's time for dinner. I'm really glad you're here Zo." Scott says hugging me one last time before heading back downstairs.

I look around the room and was really surprised at how big the room is. It has a gorgeous bay window with a seat under it. A huge, comfy looking queen sized bed and a dresser with a couple of night stands. I have a walk in closet. I've never had a walk in closet. Finally I notice another door and when I open it I find I have my own bathroom.

After looking around some more I decide to take a shower. Grabbing some clothes and some bathroom essentials I head to the bathroom and turn the water on. Removing my clothes I look at my reflection in the mirror. I sigh looking at the bruises that cover my torso. Blinking back tears I turn away from the mirror and step into the shower. After the most relaxing shower in my life I dress and return to my room. Sitting on the bed I pull out the photo album I found on one of the shelves when I was looking around. Looking at all the pictures of Scott and even myself when I was younger brought a smile to my face. I must've been exhausted because the next thing I knew I was asleep.

A/N: Well here's the first chapter. I have about seven chapters roughly written right now. I'm not sure how often I will update. Constructive criticism is always welcome. -Britt


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Waking up a while later I turn to the clock on my nightstand to find it is well past one in the morning. I don't remember falling asleep. I must've been exteremly tired. Stretching I get up to wander around the house to see what has changed since I was a kid. I made my way downstairs and walking past the kitchen my stomach let out a loud growl. Not remembering when I ate last I decided to search for some food. Finding cereal I then look for a bowl. I must not have been too quiet because the next thing I knew Derek walks into the kitchen rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Sleeping beauty has awaken at last." He jokes walking to the fridge.

"I didn't know you were still here." I say watching him skeptically as he moves to the cabinet and pulls out a glass.

"Scott didn't tell you? Mrs. McCall is letting me stay here until I can find a new place to live." He says sitting next to me.

"No, he didn't. Well I'm sorry if I woke you." I apologize.

"You didn't. We figured the flight and time difference took a lot out of you. That and Stiles threatened us with bodily harm if we woke you." He shrugs while getting a glass of milk.

"Ha! That's a good one." I laugh shaking my head. The two of us falling into a some what in comfortable silence, Derek glancing up at me every couple of seconds. After a few minutes the butterflies I felt earlier in the start to come back with each glance. Blushing, I quickly finish what is left of my cereal and get up to wash my bowl and put it away.

"Well, I'm gonna go back to my room. I will talk to you later. Sorry again if I woke you." I say as I walk-run out of the room.

"Good night." Was all I heard as I retreated.

...

Waking up for the second time that day I find the sun is up and shining brightly in my eyes. Groaning, I roll over only to practically jump out of my skin. Laying beside me with a huge ass grin on his face is Stiles.

"Damn girl. I thought you were never going to wake up! Get up we are having a get together to welcome you back to Beacon Hills." He says while jumping on me.

"Nobody told me about this." I mumble trying to roll over to go back to sleep.

"You weren't supposed to know until today because Scott knew you wouldn't let us have it." He practically sings jumping on me some more.

"Asshole." I groan trying to swat Stiles away from me.

"Swear jar." Is the only response I get. The next thing I know Stiles is laying on top of me.

"Fine!" I shout with a groan. "Now get the hell off of me so I can get dressed."

"But you're so comfy!" He whines while snuggling in closer.

"If you want to keep your arm I suggest you get off me!" I snap back feeling his weight move off me.

"I forgot how grumpy you are when you get woken up." He says hitting me with a pillow.

"That's what happens when you move across the country." I reply standing up.

"Touché. It's 10:30 now. People will be here around one and we still need to go to the store so hurry up lazy ass." I hear him say as he walks out.

"Swear jar." Is all I say as I flip off his retreating form while walking to my luggage to find clothes for the day.

"I saw that!" Was all I heard as he dissappeared down the hallway.

...

After bringing in what seemed like three thousand grocery bags I slumped into a chair at the kitchen counter. I rest my forehead on the cool surface of the counter and sigh loudly. I thought it was just supposed to be a small get together. I don't understand why we need so much food.

"SCOTT?!" I yelled my head snapping up from the counter.

"Yes?" He says his head popping in around the corner.

"I thought you said this was going to be a small get together. Why do we need all this food?" I ask pointing to all the bags.

"I never said it was a small get together. In fact I never said it was a big get together either. I simply said get together." he says fully coming into the kitchen now. "Stiles is the one who told you it was a small get together."

I just shake my head and groan while hopping down from seat to start putting the groceries away. This kid was going to be the death of me. He knows large groups of people freak me out. Sighing I finish putting the groceries away and go to leave the room when Stiles jumps in front of me, fully scaring the shit out of me, with a look on his face that says he's about to ask me to do something.

"Stiles! Don't do that! You scared the sh-crap out of me." I shout smacking him in the chest.

"Sorry. How much do you love me?" He says with a huge ass grin.

"Why?" I say slowly losing patience with the grinning fool in front of me.

"Remember how we used to make those pretzel/cookie/brownie things when we were younger?" He asks.

"You mean how I used to make them and you just stood around trying to steal the batter?" I say giving him a pointed look.

"Details, love, details." he says waving a hand in the air.

"Yes I remember. Get to the point please." I sigh.

"Would you want to make some for the party? Pleeeeaaaasssseeee?" He says going into fully puppy dog pouting mode.

"Ugh. Fine. Let me go change and I will get started on them." I say walking around him to go change.

"THANK YOU!" I hear him yell as I make my way upstairs.

...

Back in the kitchen I put my headphones in, I start to gather everything I need to make this damn dessert. Bobbing my head and humming along I go about making dessert. Completely forgetting where I am I begin to dance and sing along to the music. Turning back to the counter from pre-heating the stove I nearly drop my bowl and jump a foot in the air.

"Jeez. You scared me. How long have you been standing there?" I ask the pair of hazel eyes standing in the doorway of the kitchen while pulling my headphones out.

"Sorry. And I've only been here since 'Fancy'. It was quite amusing, you could give Iggy a run for her money." Derek says with a chuckle walking into the kitchen and sitting at the counter.

"Oh shut up." I say rolling my eyes and shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"What are you making? It looks good." He says trying to distract me noticing my discomfort.

"They don't exactly have a name but they are a layer of crushed pretzels, a layer of cookie dough and a layer of brownie mix on top." I say not meeting his eyes.

"Sounds amazing. I can't wait to try them. I will let you get back to work." He says standing up and leaving me to my lonesome once again.

I put my earbuds back in letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I shake my head while mentally scolding myself. I have to remind myself again that not every guy is like him. I sigh to myself while returning to my dessert.

...

Derek POV

"Dude, can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask Scott walking out back to see him setting up tables and chairs.

"Sure. What's up?" He says standing up from the table he was putting together.

"What is up with Zoe? She seems very fearful of new people especially men." I say joining him at the table.

"She should really be the one to tell you the whole story but I will tell you she was attacked about a year ago. It really messed with her head. She didn't leave home for three weeks after it happened. She stopped talking to everyone except her parents and me. She is very cautious of people and hyperaware of her surroundings." Scott says with a sad look in his eyes.

"Oh man. That's terrible. I just walked into the kitchen and saw her singing and dancing to her ipod. She seemed so carefree and relaxed. Then she noticied I was there and her whole demeanor changed." I say.

"Yeah. It took me forever to convince her to move out here. I hope she can finally be able to relax and become herself again. Not be so afraid of everything." Scott replies looking towards the house.

"I guess we will see. You need any help?" I say pointing at the remaining chairs.

"That would be great. I got to hurry up so I can start getting food together." Scott say moving to grab more chairs. I follow him and grab some chairs of my own to put at the tables with my thoughts on the pretty blonde in the kitchen with the broken smile. Maybe I can help her get more comfortable with herself.

...

Zoe POV

After finishing dessert I find myself standing in front of my bed staring at a couple clothing options to wear to the party. I just can't decide which one to pick. Just when I am about to give up I hear someone walk into my room.

"The pink dress. It makes your eyes a deeper shade of blue." They say coming to stand next to me.

"You think so?" I ask turning to see Mrs. McCall smiling at me.

"Of course." She says wrapping her arm around me, pulling me into her side. "Plus it'll show off your killer dancer legs which I am extremely jealous of."

"You have great legs mom." I laugh with her.

"How are you doing?" She asks.

"I'm ok. A little nervous about today." I say with a sigh moving to sit down on the bed.

"Take a deep breath. You know most of the people coming." She says sitting down next to me and taking my hand in hers. "If you start to feel like your going to have a panic attack come find me, Scott or Stiles ok? We will help you in whatever way we can."

"Do you have alcohol?" I ask only half joking.

"Anything for my favorite child." She smiles.

"We heard that!" Is shouted at us in unison from the living room.

"I will leave you to get ready now. Just remember: Breathe. You'll be ok. I love you sweetheart." Mrs. McCall says giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks mom." I say returning the hug. "For everything."

She winks at me as she leaves the room. I am left to finish getting ready. Deciding on the pink dress I pair it with a light denim jacket and some white wedge heels. Keeping my make-up light with some mascara, eyeliner, bronzer and a link pink lipstick. I don't really want to fuss with my hair too much so I just fishtail braid it. Just as I am finishing up I hear a knock at my door.

"Come in." I call, turning to see Scott poking his head through the door.

"Hey, I'm just coming to see if you are ready. Everyone should be here soon." He says coming into the room.

"Just finished. How do I look?" I ask doing a little spin.

"Beautiful as always." He say with a smile. "You might wanna come downstairs though."

"Why?"I ask confused. Scott just looks at me.

"STILES! I will break your fingers!" I yell moving past a laughing Scott.

A/N: Well here's the second chapter. I thought I would try writing in a different point of view. It was a little challenging for me so let me know how you like it. I also wanted to include Mama McCall a bit more in this chapter. She will definitely be someone that Zoe can confide in throughout the story. The next chapter will have the party. Let me know what you think. -Britt


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Walking out into the back yard and seeing all those people I paused for a moment in panic. There were a lot of people in Scotts' backyard. A tap on my shoulder nearly made me jump out of my skin. Turning around I see Lydia's kind smile.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. You just look nervous thought I would come see if I could help." She says coming to stand next to me.

"A little maybe. Large groups of people scare me. Especially when I don't know anyone." I reply looking at the group of people again.

"Do you want me to introduce you to some people? Would that help ease some anxiety?" Lydia asks pointing to the group. I couldn't help but relax at the kindness in her smile. I think I am really going to like her.

"Uh. Sure. That would be great." I shrug, taking a shakey breath.

"Great! Come with me!" She grabs my arm and practically drags me with her.

"That's Danny." She says pointing to a very handsome young man with tanned skin and a kind smile. "He's a sweetheart. You can talk to him about anything. Plus he's the one you want with you when you go shopping. He will give you the truth about how you look in anything." Danny sees Lydia pointing at him and waves from where he stands. I give a small wave back while lydia blows him a kiss.

"Good to know." I chuckle.

"Over there is Issac, Erica, and Boyd." Poiting to each one as we continue to walk. "They are Derek's friends. You already know Scott, Allison, and Jackson. That girl over there with the dark hair practically hanging on Derek is Tricia. She's delusional. She thinks her and Derek are an item because they kissed once. No other girls go near Derek because she flips out on them."

"Really?" I ask with wide eyes.

"Yup she threw a drink in my face because I laughed at some he said." She said glaring at this Tricia girl.

"No way! What did you do?" I ask imagining all the things I would do if I was her.

"I cut holes in all of her clothes while we were in gym class for a week straight." She says with a completely straight face. I am definitely going to like her.

"Oh my god! Remind me to not get on your bad side." I laugh.

"I thought her clothes looked better afterwards anyway." She deadpans.

"I bet they did. Well she better get used to the fact that I live in the same house as him." I say with an eyeroll. Lydia just laughs as we find Stiles talking to a pretty blonde.

"Hey Zo. Are you having fun?" Stiles smiles as we reach him.

"Yeah. Lydia is telling me who everyone is." I say looking around.

"Good I'm glad. I want you to meet someone." He says turning to the blonde girl. "Zo, this is Nichole. Nichole this is Zoe my best friend since forever."

Nichole and I just kind of stare at each other. She was sizing me up. Trying to see if she was going to have to compete with me. Great. Not only did I have to worry about this crazy Tricia chick now I have to worry about this girl too. Thankfully Lydia grabbed my arm saying something about having to talk to Allison. I sent her a grateful smile when we walked away.

...

After being introduced to pretty much everyone I finally got a minute to myself to breathe. I have barely seen Scott or Stiles since everyone got here. Stiles seems to be smitten with Nichole. Allison and Scott definitely have a thing going on. Going inside to search for a drink I stumble upon Derek sitting by himself.

"Hiding from someone?" I ask making him jump. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. How did you know I was hiding from someone?" He asks face full of confusion.

"Lydia was pointing everyone out to me telling me who everyone is. She told me that Tricia is a bit..enamoured with you." I reply grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it with ice.

"I think obsessed it the better word. If I knew this was going to happen I would've never taken that dare." He shakes his head as I chuckle.

"Those dares always get you." I say with a laugh turning to search through the cabinets.

"So how are you liking the party so far?" He says changing the subject.

"It's ok I guess. Everyone seems nice. Well except for Tricia. I don't think I want to officially meet her. She might attack me for sleeping in the same house as you. I haven't seen much of Stiles or Scott though." I say moving to the next set of cabinets.

"Yeah Stiles is trying to get Nichole to be his girlfriend." Derek nods.

"That explains the bitch-glare I got when he introduced us." I say huffing when I realize I have searched all the cabinets and still haven't found what I am looking for.

"Looking for something specific?" Derek asks catching onto what I was doing.

"Uhmm...Do you happen to know where a girl can find some rum?" I ask blushing slightly.

"Yeah. I'll show you the way." He laughs, motioning for me to follow.

"I think I love you!" I exclaim when he hands me the bottle of rum.

"Don't say that too loud. You don't want to be the next girl with a drink in her face." He jokes.

"I'm shaking in my boots." I say sarcastically.

"Well it's obvious that Stiles isn't going to cook us some food so I guess I will." He looking towards the grill. "Care to join me?"

"Sure." I stand and follow Derek outside.

...

The rest of the party went smoothly. I spent the rest of the day with either Derek or Lydia. I am starting to get more comfortable with both of them. Something I am proud of. I could see myself being great friends with both of them. I was finally back in my room having showered and changed into my pajamas. I snuggle up under the blankets and fall asleep almost as soon as my head hits my pillow.

A/N: Two chapters in one day! This is a miracle for me! I am hoping to keep going while I am still in this creative mood. So there might be another chapter up tonight and potentially more tomorrow. Let me know what you like, what you aren't liking, what you want to see. I want to know what everyone is thinking of the story so far. -Britt


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I wake up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. I smile to myself and stretch before getting up and heading to the bathroom. After taking a quick shower I decide to get ready for the day. Looking through my closet I realize that I am in desperate need of new clothes.

As if on cue my phone vibrates from its place on the nightstand. Upon picking it up I see I have a text message from a number I don't recognize. I begin to panic sure that he had found me and was going to hurt me again. With shaking hands I open the text message almost crying in relief when I see it is just Lydia.

_Hey! It's Lydia. Scott gave me your number. I hope that's okay. -L_

_Of course it is. What's up? -Z_

_Just wanted to see if you wanted to go for a mani/pedi with me and maybe do some shopping? -L_

_I was just thinking to myself that I need new clothes! Count me in. -Z_

_Great! I'll pick you up in an hour! -L_

Smiling I put the phone back on the night stand and turn back to my closet. I quickly decide on a black maxi dress. I slip on some black and gold sandals to keep my feet comfortable. I let my hair air dry and leave it in its natural beachy wave texture. I add some mascara and some lip gloss for make-up and grap my purse and sunglasses to complete the look.

Coming downstairs I head to the kitch to grab a qiuck bite to eat before I left with Lydia. Walking into the kitchen I find Scott and Derek already at the table eating and talking about some zombie show that they watched last night.

"Morning." I say heading to the fruit bowl to grab a banana.

"Morning." They say in unison looking up from their conversation.

"You look nice. Are you going out?" Scott says coming to stand next to me.

"Yup. Lydia and I are having a girls day." I say.

"Good I'm glad you guys are getting along." He says putting an arm around me and pulling me into his side.

"How'd you sleep?" Derek asked from his spot at the table.

"Pretty good actually." I said now realizing that I didn't have a single nightmare last night.

"That's good." He says while getting up to put his now empty plate in the dishwasher. "Well I'm off to meet Jackson at the gym. Scott you wanna join?"

"Sure. Will you be okay today?" Scott ask turning to me.

"I'll be fine. I promise. If not I will call you or Stiles." I say

"Okay. You girls have fun. See you later." He says kissing my cheek and moving to leave the kitchen. Derek gives me a quick hug and quickly follows Scott out of the house. After finishing my banana I decide to go wait for Lydia on the front steps.

A few minutes later I spot Lydia's white Lexus pull into the driveway. I hop off the steps and walk over to get in the car. Closing my door I lean over to give a quick hug. Putting the car in gear we reverse out of the driveway and our girls day has officially begins.

"So how have you been?" Lydia asks almost immediately.

"I've been good. Still adjusting to living out here." I reply looking over my sunglasses at her.

"That's good. I was thinking we could stop at starbucks and then get our nails done. Sound good to you?" She asks.

"Ohh I LOVE starbucks!" I excitedly respond practically bouncing in my seat. Lydia just laughs and shakes her head. After getting our drinks, a caffe vanilla frappuccino for Lydia and an iced salted caramel mocha for me, we head over to the nail salon.

"What color are you thinking of getting?" I ask walking into the salon.

"I'm thinking nude. What about you?" She says walking up to the wall of nail polish.

"I'm kinda into the deep reds and purples." I say joining her at the wall. I don't think I've quite seen this many nail polishes in my entire life. I just stand and stare at them for a minute before I feel something hit me in the ribs.

"You're going to start drooling if you keep that up." Lydia says with a chuckle. I snap my mouth shut and quickly pick out the color I've been lusting after for months. Joining lydia at the pedicure station we fall into comfortable conversation about whatever we can think of. After our nails are done we head to the nearby mall for some much needed retail therapy.

"Ooh can we look in American Eagle? I love their pants and shorts and I am in dire need of new ones." I ask.

"Sure. Whatever you want to go is fine with me." She says walking off in the direction I assume American Eagle is. Walking into the store I head straight for the shorts. We browse around for a while holding up something so the other person could give their opinion. Eventually we head to the fitting rooms our arms full of clothes. From my fitting room I hear Lydia call out to me.

"What do you think of this?" She calls. I stick my head out to see her in a purple colored ruffled dress.

"That looks amazing on you. Makes your eyes pop." I say coming to stand next to her. "What do you think about this?"

"I like it. Those shorts are really cute." She says returning to her dressing room. I look in the mirror for a second before returning to my own dressing room.

"So how is living with Scott and Derek going?" I hear Lydia ask.

"It's going ok. The boys are nice to me and are respectful of me and my space. Derek kept me company company the whole night last night at the party." I respond trying on a coral colored dress with cutouts on the side.

"Speaking of Derek how are you two getting along? Are you getting more comfortable with living in the same house as him.?" She calls back.

"At first it was awkward. I wasn't too comfortable around him. But now it's not so bad, I mean he's nice. Plus he's not bad to look at." I say with a smirk coming out of the dressing room to look at my dress in the mirror. "What do you think of this?"

"Ooh I like that. Looks cute." She says coming out in a pair of white jeans and a mint sleeveless top. "That bruise looks like it hurts. How did that happen?"

"What?" I say freezing in my spot. I completely forgot about the bruises.

"The bruise on your side it looks nasty." She points to one of the particularly bad brusies that is taking forever to heal.

"Oh. I..uh..I um..I fell down the stairs at my old house just before I moved." I stutter trying to coming up with a good enough excuse.

"Oookayy." Is all she says and I release a breathe I didn't know I was holding and quickly return to my dressing room.

"Do I sense a little crush on Derek?" Lydia aks changing the subject.

"Maybe." I say changing back into my dress. "Nothing will come of it though."

"Why do you say that?" She asks.

"Because he's my roommate. And I have serious issues with guys. Let's say we did get together and it didn't work? It would be so awkward. Besides that Tricia chick scares the hell out of me." I say coming out of the dressing room with the stuff I wanted to buy.

"Oh screw Tricia. She's crazy and a bit of a whore anyway. We can work on your guy issues. As for the roommate thing you'll never know if you don't try." She says coming out of her own room purchases in hand.

"I guess." I concede walking to the register with her.

"Oh I've got an idea. Why don't we go out to a club! We'll get you a sexy little dress and do your hair and make-up. He won't be able to resist you!" She practically yells in the middle of the store.

"Sorry. Too much coffee." I say to the cashier jokingly.

"Hey!" She says shoving me.

"I don't know about that. I'm not sure if I could handle all those people." I say a bit of panic forming in the pit of my stomach.

"Don't worry. We will keep you so distracted that you won't even notice the people." She says patting me on the arm.

"I'm still not too sure. I will talk to Scott about it." I say.

"Okay. Let's pay for this stuff, get some lunch then find a hot dress for you just incase." she responds.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. We had lunch then spent the next couple of hours shopping like maniacs. I pretty much bought a whole new wardrobe. I even got a "hot" dress at Lydia's persistence. That evening I was in my room putting away my new purchases when I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in." I call going to hang up one of my new dresses.

"Hey." I hear Derek's voice say as he walks into my room. "Whoa is there anything left at the mall?"

"Ha ha. If you think _I_ bought a lot then you should see what Lydia bought." I say coimg back into the room.

"I don't doubt that. Did you have a good time?" He says sitting on my bed.

"Yes I did." I say hanging up some more stuff.

"Good I'm glad." He says.

"Lydia wants us all to go out to a club this weekend." I say.

"Oh that sounds fun. Are you going to go?" He asks watching me fold my clothes.

"I'm not sure. I don't know if I can be in a crowd that large yet." I shrug.

"Don't worry I'll protect you." He says standing up and hugging me to his side.

"I think I'll take my chances with Stiles." I joke pushing him away in mock disgust.

"Wow! That hurts." He says in mock sadness covering his heart with his hands.

"I will think about it." I say.

"Okay well I just wanted to see if you had fun. I will let you finish putting your stuff away." He says walking to the door.

"Alright. See you later." I say. After I finished putting all my stuff away I decided to take a bath. Sitting in the warm water I think about what Lydia and I talked about. Yes Derek is cute. He's a sweetheart. Yes I may have a small crush on knows Lydia may be right, Derek could have the same feelings as I do. Going to the club was sounding a little better. I guess I could try and put my fears aside for a few hours.

A/N: Well here's chapter 4 everyone. I hope you like it. I'm not sure how I like it. Let me know what you like/don't like/helpful thoughts. -Britt


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A few days had passed since mine and Lydia's shopping spree. I was still nervous about going to a club and Lydia's, and now Allison's, daily texts asking if I had changed my mind were doing nothing to help my anxiety. Deciding to ask Scott for advice I go downstairs to find him stuffing his face in the kitchen.

"Dude you might want to breathe inbetween bites." I say coming into the kitchen. My comment was met with a middle finger as he stuffed yet another bite of macaroni and cheese into his mouth. I lean against the counter just watching him in slight disgust until he finally finishes. Getting up and putting his bowl in the sink he hops onto the counter next to me.

"What's up? You look perplexed." He says ruffling my hair.

"Hey! Don't touch the hair." I say swatting away his hand. "And I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What do you want to talk about? Oh my god did Kate and William break up?!" He says in mock despair making fun of my slight obsession with the royal family.

"No doofus. Can you be serious for like two seconds? I have a real issue here." I reply with a roll of my eyes earning a laugh from the brunette.

"Lydia wants us all to go to a club this weekend. I told her I would think about it and let her know. Now I am getting daily texts from her and Allison asking if I made a decision yet. I don't know what to do. I'm not sure I am ready for that yet. Help me!" I say throwing my arms up in the air.

"Okay. Well my first question is: Have you told Lydia what happened and why you moved here?" He asks.

"No. The only person who knows everything is you. I don't want them to look at me with pity. Like "Oh that's Zoe. The poor girl who was beaten and raped." I've seen it happen before." I sigh. Scott jumps off the counter, startling me, and stands in front of me.

"Now you listen to me Zoe Ann. No one, and I mean no one, will pity you in any way. What happened to you was unexcusable but it doesn't define you. I will tickle your feet until you cry if you say something like that again." He says pointing his finger at me using my fear of feet against me.

"You wouldn't." I say in fear.

"Try me. I mean what I say Zoe. I think you should talk to them and explain what happened." He says hopping back onto the counter. "I think I have an idea actually."

"Oh god." I groan.

"Hey I have good ideas sometimes." He says in defense.

"Oh, you mean like the time you got me to sneak out of the house to go to Theresa James' party? The neighbors called the cops and the party got raided. We got a police escort home. I was grounded for a month." I remind him.

"Okay so maybe most of my ideas are not so good. But this one is I promise." Scott pleads.

"Okay boy genius. What's your plan?" I say hopping up onto the counter next to him.

"Well you're nervous to go to the club because of all the people right?" He says.

"Yeah..." I say. "What's your point?"

"What if wego somewhere, as a group, that is crowded but not as crowded as a club. A way to sort of ease you into it." he says and I can see the hopefulness in his eyes.

"I don't know.." I say.

"Hey none of that we are going and that's final. If we go and you start to feel nervous we can leave." He says practically pleading with me.

"Pinky Promise?" I press holding my pinky out to him.

"Pinky promise." He says locking his finger with mine. "I'm going to call everyone!"

And with that Scott hops off the counter and skips away cell phone in hand. I hop off the counter to go shower and change. I can't help the bad feeling forming in the pit of my stomach.

...

Later that night we all pile into two cars and are off to the bowling alley. Once there we decide to break up into teams with the losing team buying everyone ice cream. With Lydia and Jackson and Scott and Allison teaming up almost immediately I end up being partnered with Stiles, Nichole and Derek.

"Okay loser buys ice cream. Game on everyone." Jackson says with a smirk and bowls first. Everyone is surprisingly good with a majority of us getting spares and strikes most of the time. I am feeling good. I'm having a good time and I'm just enjoying myself the bad feeling I had earlier nowhere to be found. After the first game I volunteer to go gets drinks.

As I wait for our drinks to be filled this guy walks up and places his order. Noticing I'm alone he turns to me and openly looks me up and down and instantly the hair on the back of my neck stands up. He's about five foot eleven and wears way to much cologne. He licks his lips as he stares at me and I shift uncomfotably looking for the bartender to see if our drinks are ready. I pull my phone out and text Scott to have him come stand with me.

"Hey." He nods.

"Hi." I reply.

"You been here before?" He asks.

"No. I just moved here. Some friends are showing me around." I say trying to be polite. I look around for Scott and he is nowhere in sight.

"That's cool." He says coming to stand closer to me. Creepy guy continues to look me up and down. I try to back up but I can feel the barstool against my back. "Where you from?"

"Boston." I reply. Where the heck was this bartender?

"I've always wanted to visit Boston. Would you want to go out sometime? I could show you around more." Creepy guy offers moving his hand to my arm.

"Uhm. Thank you but I have to say no." I reply moving his hand off my arm. I am starting to really panic now. I grab my phone again and text the next person I could think of to come help me.

"What you got a boyfriend or something? C'mon baby. Let me show you around. I promise you'll have a good time." He says licking his lips and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively

"Please leave me alone." I plead.

"Why you gotta be so cold baby? I'm just trying to show you a good time." Creepy guy grabs me and puts his arm around my waist. I try and push him away but he just pulls me closer.

"Where you going? I know you want more of this." He says leaning in close to my face. I can smell the alcohol on his breath and it makes me gag. I close my eyes and pray for someone to come help.

"I believe she asked you to leave her alone." A gruff voice says from behind me. I turn to see Derek standing there and he looked pissed.

"What are you her boyfriend or something? Chill I'm just trying to show her a good time and she's being a bitch." he say putting his hands up. As soon as creepy guy lets me go I run behind Derek trying not to cry. He immediately put a protective arm around me.

"Or something. She said no so I suggest you back the fuck up before I make you." Derek pretty much growls stepping closer to creepy.

"Whatever this bitch isn't worth it." Creepy says and walks away in a huff.

"Are you ok?" Derek asks turning to me checking to make sure I wasn't hurt

"Yeah, I will be. Thank you for saving me." I say greatfully while I hug him.

"No problem. I was starting to worry when I got your S.O.S." He says returning the hug as the bartender finally returns with our drinks. "Well lets get back before Stiles hurts himself. He almost dropped the ball on his foot while you were gone."

"What am I going to do with him?" I laugh, my nerves starting to go away again. Derek just shakes his head and I follow him back to the group.

The rest of the night was fun. My team ended up winning so the other team had to pay for our ice creams. Lydia and Allison even managed to get me to agree to go to the club this weekend. Crawling into bed at the end of the night I am alseep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

A/N: Here's chapter 5. I hope the story is making sense the way I want it too. The next chapter will have the nightclub scene. Zoe officially meets Tricia. Derek and Scott experience Zoe's nightmares for the first time. Let me know what you think. -Britt


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_"No! Please!" I struggle to get away._

_"Shut the fuck up!" He growls punching me in the face this time._

_"NO! STOP!" I cry out._

_"I said SHUT UP!" Another punch this time to my rib cage._

_"NO! NO!"_

"ZOE!" I woke with a scream to see Derek and Scott sitting next to me shaking me, a look of fear on their faces. I'm breathing erratically, panic coursing through my body as the nightmare fades and reality sets in. Once they realize I am awake Derek lets go of my arms and I sit up. Wiping a hand across my face I find that I am covered in sweat. I take a moment to steady my breathing before I say anything.

"I'm sorry. I woke you guys up." I say not looking at them.

"It's ok. I'm just glad it was a nightmare and you weren't actually being murdered." Scott says with a chuckle.

"Thanks." I reply my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"All jokes aside, are you ok? This has been happening since the bowling alley." Derek asks voice full of concern. I take a deep breath trying to calm my emotions.

"Yeah." I say letting out a slow breath to steady my nerves.

"Are you sure?" Scott asks worry still evident in his voice.

"Yes. I'm okay. Promise." I reassure Scott. He gives me a small smile and a hug before standing up.

"If you need me you know where to find me." Scott say before retreating to his room. Derek gives my hand a small squeeze before standing up to leave.

"Derek?" I ask.

"Yeah." He says turning back to me.

"Will you stay in here tonight? I don't think I can be alone." I ask in a small voice knowing I am blushing a bright red.

"If you want me too." He says moving over to the other side of the bed.

He climbs into bed next to me and pulls me close. It's the safest I have ever felt since I was attacked. I whisper thank you to him as he places a light kiss to my forehead and fall into a peaceful sleep.

...

The next morning I wake up feeling like an elephant is sleeping on my chest. Groaning I open my eyes to see a head of dark hair on my chest. At first I panic but then I remember the nightmare, Derek waking me up and then asking him to stay. I have to admit it was nice to have someone to sleep next to. I haven't slept that good in God knows how long. I lay just listening to him mumble in his sleep. I don't know what he is saying but it's cute. After a while the urge to pee becomes unbearable. I try to move out from underneath him but he wraps his arm around me and pulls me tighter. I know I'm going to pee my pants any minute so I start poking him and calling his name. Finally he starts to moving.

"Derek. Derek, wake up. I have to pee and you're crushing my bladder. Derek!" I shout the last part and he jumps up into a sitting position looking around frantically. I can only giggle at the look on his face with pieces of hair sticking up in all directions.

"Wha….what time is it and why am I not in my bed?" he asks sleep lacing his voice.

"Its 9:23 in the morning and I had a nightmare last night and asked you to stay." I say getting up from the bed and walking to the bathroom giggling the whole time. I can hear him mumble something before I hear him moving around. I come out of the bathroom to see he has lain back down. I walk over to the bead and rip the covers off hearing Derek protest I just laugh and walk out fo the room to go make breakfast.

About twenty minutes later Derek shuffles in and sits at the counter. I hand him a cup of coffee and continue making breakfast. We sit in a comfortable silence while I cook and Derek wakes up fully.

"That smells good what are you making?" He finally says.

"French toast with fruit and bacon. Do you want eggs?" I ask cutting up fruit.

"No thanks." He says taking another sip of coffee.

"Thank you for staying with me last night." I respond turning around to check the bacon.

"Anytime." Is all he says. A few minutes later breakfast is ready and I take a seat next to Derek at the counter. About halfway through my plate Scott walks into the kitchen. He mumbles something sounding similar to 'morning' before walking up to me and stealing my plate.

"Asshole. Get your own food." I yell grabbing my plate back. Scott just grunts grabs a cup of coffee and the rest of the bacon and plops down next to Derek. Derek and I just laugh and shake our heads.

"Swear jar." Mrs. McCall says coming into the kitchen and grabbing a plate of food for herself.

"Really?! He stole my plate!" I whine.

"Don't argue. He gets dish duty today." She says sitting down next to me.

"Aw man!" Scott whines putting his head on the table.

"Don't steal her food." Mrs. McCall states matter-of-factly.

"Derek I noticed you weren't on the couch last night when I came home from work." Mrs. McCall states raising her eyebrow smirking. Scotts head snaps up and he looks quickly between both Derek and I.

"What?" He says half serious, half excited.

"I..uh.." He stutters looking down and blushing.

"The couch looked uncomfortable so he slept in my room." I said shrugging my shoulders. Mrs. McCall just gives me a knowing smile and continues with her food. Everyone settles into a comfortable silence after that.

"I know we are going to the club tonight but do you and Scott want to go to the mall or something today?" Derek asks between bites.

"Sure. We just have to be back by like 5. Lydia and Allison say they are going to give me a makeover before we go out." I roll my eyes.

"Lucky you." Derek says laughing. I just roll my eyes again. We finish breakfast making small talk the whole time. After cleaning up we get ready and head to the mall.

...

As soon as we get to the mall everyone immediately wants to go to different places. Scott and Derek stand just inside the mall arguing over which place to go to first. GameStop is closer but Derek knows exactly what he wants from the sports store. I just shake my head and sigh to myself. After a few minutes of arguing I notice a Starbucks off to my right and decide to get a coffee while the children decide where to go.

"What can I get you today?" The barista asks as soon as I step up to the counter.

"Uhm..may I have a medium iced caramel macchiato please?" I ask pulling out some money.

"Good choice." I hear someone say from behind me. Turning around I see a girl around my age with shortish blonde hair.

"Thank you." I say politely turning back around to wait for my drink.

"I'm Tricia." The girl says thrusting a hand in my direction.

"Uh..Zoe." I reply quickly shaking her hand. I wish they would hurry up with my drink.

"I thought you looked familiar!" She all but shouts in my face.

"Excuse me?" I say looking at her like she had three heads.

"Your Scott's friend. I saw you at the party a couple weeks ago." She says.

"Oh. Right." I say and finally the barista announces my drink is ready. "Well it was nice to meet you but I have to get back to my friends."

"See you at the club tonight!" She calls after me. Man that girl is weird. I just roll my eyes and walk back to where I left the boys to find they are in the exact same place I left them still arguing over which place to go to first.

"Oh for the love of God! Will you two SHUT UP?!" I pretty much yell causing both of them, and a bunch of other people, to look at me.

"What?" "Are you ok?" They ask simutaneously.

"Here's the plan since you children can't agree on one." I announce.

"Hey! We can totally agree on a plan." Scott says.

"Really? Because we have been in the mall for twenty minutes now and we haven't been to a single store." I say raising my eyebrow.

"I was able to go to Starbucks and have a full on conversation with a girl named Tricia, by the way I can see why that never went anywhere," I say turning to Derek. "and neither of you noticed because you're too busy fighting over which store to go too!"

"Did you get me a drink?" Scott asks completely ignoring my point.

"No!" I snap, smacking him in the arm.

"Ouch! Okay, okay. Calm down." Scott says, putting his hands up in defense.

"Like I was saying here's the plan. We are going to go to Forever 21 and American Eagle first because you made me stand here while you guys argued." I was instantly met with groans. "Then we can get some lunch and then go to Gamestop then the sports store."

The rest of the afternoon was arguement free. Scott complained everytime I tried something on while Derek was surprisingly helpful with picking stuff out. We managed to all agree on Chik-fil-a for lunch then went to the stores the boys wanted before going home to get ready for the club.

...

Lydia and Allison were waiting on the porch with what looked like an entire department store around them as we pulled into the driveway. As soon as I was out of the car they dragged me to my room leaving Scott and Derek to laugh at our retreating forms. Looking around my room I was amazed at the amount of stuff the girls brought for my "make-over."

"Do we really need all this stuff?" I ask gulping slightly.

"Of course. We need options." Lydia waves her hand not even bothering to look up from where she was looking between two dresses.

"It's not that bad." Allison tries to reassure me as she leads me to the chair in front of my vanity. "She brought three times the amount to my house the first time we went out."

"Oh." Was all I could say.

"Now how do you usually wear your hair and make-up?" Lydia asks coming to stand in front of me.

"Uh usually straight and minimal make-up." I say a little nervous of what they were going to do to my face.

"Don't worry. You're going to look hot!" Lydia says turning me away from the mirror so I couldn't see. Allison went straight to work on my hair while Lydia did my make-up. I must say it felt kind of good to be primped like that. After about an hour and half a can of hair spray later they were finally done. They turn me around so I can look in the mirror and I can only gasp at what I see. My hair is in perfect Victoria's Secret model curls and my make-up is perfect. Lydia did a dark, shimmery gold smokey eye with fake lashes and my lips were the perfect nude to compliment the eye make-up. I don't think I've ever looked so good.

"Do you like it?" Allison asks after a moment.

"I love it." I say getting up to hug the girls.

"Good. Now lets pick out your outfit." Lydia says while thrusting some dresses in my arms and pushing me towards the closet.

The first dress I put on is a red strapless fitted dress. It comes down just past my butt and is very tight. I feel like I will flash everyone my goodies at any moment in this dress. I step out of the closet to show the girls. They examine the dress and whisper to themselves for a minute.

"Too slutty." Lydia finally announces and I turn to try the next dress on.

The second dress is a pink dress. The top is fitted and has spaghetti straps. The bottom of the dress is flowy and sparkly and comes to my knees. I feel like I should be on the top of a cupcake. The girls quickly dismiss the dress as soon as I walk out. apparently I look like an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen. The third dress is all back and fitted to the body. It has thicker straps and my back is completely covered. The hem stop around mid thigh. stepping out of the closet Lydia and Allison take a little longer analyzing this dress. I'm not sure if that is a bad thing or not.

"No. I am pretty sure Tricia has the same one." Allison says after a while.

"Speaking of Tricia, I officially met her at the mall today." I say turning to go back into the closet and trying on dress number four.

"Oh really? How did that go?" I hear Lydia call through the door.

"It was weird. She's some kind of something." I call back.

"Yeah it's called bitch be fucking crazy!" Allison laughs.

"Apparently she is coming to the club tonight." I say stepping out in the next dress.

"Oh God! Who told her?"Allison groans turning around to look at me. Her jaw drops when she sees me and she slaps Lydia to turn around as well.

"What is it that ugly?" I ask turning to look in the mirror.

"No. It's perfect. That's the dress." Lydia says coming to stand behind me in the mirror. The dress is gold with sequins all over that reflect the light beautifully. It's strapless with a sweetheart neackline and stops around mid thigh. It makes my pale skin look really tan. Allison pairs the dress with matte black high heels and a black clutch. Diamond studs complete the look. After approving my final look it's the girls turn to get ready. It doesn't take them nearly as long to get ready as it did me which is due to practice and something I will learn or so Lydia tells me.

Now that all of us are ready, Allison in a deep purple dress that gives her legs for days and Lydia in a blush pink dress that makes her hair stand out, we head downstairs where everyone has gathered.

"FINALLY!" Stiles yells grabbing everyones attention as we come down the stairs. Scott and Jackson have eyes only for their girlfriends. To my surprise I catch Derek staring at me though he adverts his eyes when he notices I caught him.

"Shut up Stiles. Beauty like ours takes time." Lydia says walking up to Jackson and giving him a kiss while Allison does the same to Scott.

"Whatever you say Queen Lydia." Stiles says rolling his eyes.

"Don't you forget it." Lydia laughs.

"How about a pre-game shot before we go?" Scott suggests.

"Yes! Let me at the tequila!" I cheer earning a laugh from everyone. As we move to the kitchen I feel a hand grab my elbow. Turning I see it's Derek and he's scratching the back of his head nervously

"Spit it out Hale" I laugh.

"Its just uh...you look beautiful tonight." He says looking away as a blush creeps across his face.

"Thank you. You look handsome too." I say blushing myself. He just smiles before heading to the kitchen with the others. Walking in I am immediately handed a shot of tequila as Scott makes a toast.

"To Zoe's first club night. May the odds be ever in your favor." He says smiling as we all take our shots.

"Whoo! Now who is going to be my fake boyfriend for the night?" I laugh as we all head to the cars.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I hear Stiles yell before getting hit by Nichole. "Nevermind!"

A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! Sorry for not uploading for a while. I am having some health issues and haven't been inspired to write but I didn't want to leave you guys waiting for too long. I decided to put the actual club scene in the next chapter. We will also see more of Tricia and Zoe's anxiety. Let me know what you like, what you didn't like or if you want to see anything happen in this story. I will try to update soon. -Britt


End file.
